Clamping arrangements for use with moulds

ABSTRACT

A clamping arrangement for use with moulds having at least one removable side wall comprises a clamping member adapted to engage said side wall and a toggle mechanism connected to said clamping member for urging said side wall against the mould. The mould may be a mould for moulding concrete.

I Unlted States Patent 1 1111 3,765,819 Townsend Oct. 16, 1973 CLAMPING ARRANGEMENTS FOR USE 3,606,237 9/1971 Stephens 249/219 R WITH MOULDS 3,237,268 3/1966 Yates 249/161 X 3,171,163 3/1965 Ford et al. 425/450 X Inventor: David J Townsend, ollerton, 3,507,473 4/1970 Blonde 425/441 x England 1,998,117 4/1935 Brush 425/450 X [73] Assignee: Dewston (Engineering) Limited 1 Primary Examiner-J. Spencer Overho ser [22] F'led: July 1971 Assistant Examiner-B. D. Tobor [21 Appl. No.2 165,661 AflvrneyPaul & Paul [52] U.S. Cl 425/450, 249/167, 249/219 [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl B28b 7/04 58 Field of Search 425/450, 441; A Clampmg arrangemen. .mulds havlng 249/219 R 163 167 166 at least one removable s1de wall comprlses a clampmg member adapted to engage said side wall and a toggle mechanism connected to said clamping member for [56] Ref-erences cued urging said side wall against the mould. The mould UNITED STATES PATENTS may be a mould for moulding concrete. 3,345,691 10/1967 Aoki 425/450 X 3,010,174 11/ 1961 McCall 249/166 X 8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PAIENIEDnm 16 1915 3.765819 sum 3 or 3 CLAMPING ARRANGEMENTS FOR USE WITH MOULDS The present invention relates to clamping arrangements for use with moulds, for example, moulds for moulding concrete.

A problem that arises in the use of concrete moulds is that: before removing or stripping the side wall of the mould to release the moulded concrete, it has hitherto been very time consuming to release the clamps clamping the side walls It is one object of this invention to overcome this problem.

According to the invention there is provided aclamping arrangement for use with moulds having at least one removable side wall, comprising a clamping member, adapted to engage said side wall, and a toggle mechanism connected to said clamping member for urging said side wall against said mould.-

Suitably the toggle mechanism comprises first and second toggle links pivotally connected together wherein the first toggle link is operable by an actuating and releasing means and is pivotally connected to the clamping member, the first toggle link having means for limiting its pivotal movement and wherein said releasing means is arranged to exert a force whose line of action passes through the pivotal connection between the toggle links to release the clamping member from the side of the mould. I

Suitably, the mechanism includes a movable adjusting screw in contact with a pivotally mounted control link which is pivotally connected to the second toggle link for adjusting the clamping pressure on the side of the mould. Preferably, a combined actuating and releasing means is provided. The combined toggle actuating and releasing means may be a shaft integral with the first toggle link.

Alternatively, the first toggle link may be provided with means to receive toggle actuating means comprising a boss integrally formed on the first toggle link and of a shape suitable for receiving a removable shaft or handle.

Suitably, the clamping member comprises a clamping bracket member for contacting the side wall of the mould pivotally connected to a pivotally mounted further link and the first toggle-link. The function of the bracket member is to conform to different angles of slope of the side wall of the mould.

In one embodiment, the pivotal connection between the bracket and said further link and hence, in use, the mould side wall is spaced at a working distance from the other pivotal connection or connections of said further link. Suitably the clamping arrangement comprises a base frame in which the control link and said further link are pivotally mounted. In a mould assembly embodying the invention the base fits onto a bracket secured to a transverse bearer member on which the mould is supported so that the clamping arrangement is located in position on the mould assembly An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of part of a mould clamping arrangement (partly exploded),

FIG. 2 shows a side elevation of part of the mechanism and part of a mould for moulding concrete,

FIGS. 3 and 4 show alternative assemblies of the arrangement shown in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 5 is a detailed view of one element in the assembly of FIG. 1. v

Referring to the drawings, the mould clamping arrangement comprises a base frame 1 and the clampingbracket 2 arranged to urge in a clamping position against a removable side wall 3 of a mould 4 (FIG. 2). The mechanism comprises a first actuating toggle link 5 pivotally connected through a pivotally mounted link 6 to the clamping bracket 2 and a second take-up toggle link 7 pivotally connected by means of a pin 8 to the first toggle link 5. The link 6 is pivotally mounted in the frame 1 and the second toggle link 7 is pivotally mounted to a control link 9 pivotally mounted in an extension arm 10 of the frame 1. The actuating toggle link 5 is limited in its pivotal movement in the operating step by a stop 12 welded thereto which rests against link-7 in-the clamping position and in the releasing step by coming into contact with the clamping bracket 2.

An internally threaded adjusting member 13 mounted on an externally threaded projection 32 of control link 9 (as shown in the detail view FIG. 5, of the assembly shown in FIG. 1) is arranged to contact the extension arm 10 for adjusting the clamping pressure on the side wall 3 of the mould 4. The internal threading of member 13 is locating well inside to avoid being affected by cement.

In the embodiment shown, the actuating toggle link 5 is formed with a boss 16; the shape of the boss 16 is chosen to be such that a shaftor handle 14 can be placed over the boss 16 and used as a combined toggle actuating and releasing handle.

The pivotal connections are formed by pivot pin 8 and pivot pins 18 all having a smooth, cylindrical bearing surface. In this embodiment the pins 8 and 18 are held by means of STARLOCK washers 11 as sold by Baker and Fillimore Limited but other suitable holding means may be used instead. Referring'now to FIG. 2, the base frame 1 of the toggle mechanism of FIG. 1 is supported on .a bracket 27 welded to a transverse base bearer 15 supporting the mould 4. The bearer 15 is provided with a mould bolting plate 21 (FIG. 1) welded thereto on which a mould supporting plate 22 (FIG. 2) is bolted. The mould 4 also comprises a base 23 welded to the supporting plate 22 and side wall 3. Also welded to the side wall 3 is a pressure plate 24 which is in contact with the bracket member 2 in the position shown in FIG. 2. It will be appreciated that the clamping arrangement can be. used with a mould whose base merely rests on a bearer or other support and whose side wall has no pressure plate.

FIG. 1 shows the clamping arrangement in its clamped position. To un-clamp the mould, the handle 14 is placed over the boss 16 and rotated clockwise as viewed in FIG. 1.

The take-up toggle link 7 thereby rotates in an anticlockwise. direction and moves to the left as viewed in FIG. 1. Simultaneously the clamping bracket 2 moves to the right, causing the link 6 to rotate in an anticlockwise direction and causing the actuating toggle link 5 to continue rotating in the anti-clockwise direc-' tion until the link 5 comes into contact with bracket 2.

. The toggle mechanism is thus in its broken position, with the toggle links 5 and 7 inclined to one another with the pivot pin 8 at a higher level than the pivot pins 18 of the toggle links 5 as viewed in FIG. 1.

To re-clamp the side wall 3 of the mould 4 with the bracket 2 the handle 17 is placed over the boss 16 and is rotated in an anti-clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 1 until the position shown in FIG. 1 is reached.v

The link 9 does not normally move when the toggle mechanism is being used and its position is normally only altered when the threaded member 13 is adjusted. To make the clamping arrangement more versatile, pivot link 6 and clamping bracket 2 can be removed and apertured link plates 17, to which clamping bracket 2 may be secured inserted into their place. Link plates 17 in their first operative position shown in FIG. 3 provide for transmission of a greater force in a horizontal direction. Link plates 17 with or without, link rod 19, assembled as shown in H6. 4, provide for the transmission of a force in a downward and upward direction respectively. Thus the pivotal connection between the bracket 2 and the link 19 or link plates 17 and hence, in use, the mould side wall 3, is spaced at a working distance from the other pivotal connections with link and base 1. Link 19 obviously extends the reach of link plates 17. Suitably clamping bracket 2 is provided with a tapped hole 26 for receiving a positioning pin 20 for insertion into a locating hole (not shown) in the pressure plate 24 (FIG. 2) or a spacing pin 25 to space the clamping arrangement further away from the mould wall 3 should the pressure plate 24 have a wall such as 27, shown in dotted lines.

What is claimed is: 1. A clamping device for use with moulds having at least one removable side wall, comprising a clamping member, adapted to engage said side wall and. a toggle mechanism connected to said clamping member for applying a clamping pressure to said side wall, wherein the toggle mechanism comprises first and second toggle links pivotally connected together, wherein the first toggle link is operable by an actuating means and is pivotally connected to the clamping member, the first toggle link having means for limiting its pivotal movement in the clamping direction and wherein the mechanism includes a movable screwed adjusting member in contact with a pivotally mounted control link which is pivotally connected to the second toggle link for adjusting the clamping pressure on the side wall of the mould.

2. A .clamping arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein a combined actuating and releasing means is provided.

3. A clamping arrangement as defined in claim 2, wherein the combined toggle actuating and releasing means is a shaftintegral with the first toggle link.

4. A clamping arrangement as defined in claim 2, wherein the first toggle link is provided with means to receive toggle actuating means comprising a boss integrally formed on the first toggle link and of a shape suitable for receiving a removable shaft or handle.

5. A clamping arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein the clamping member comprises a clamping bracket member for contacting the side wall of the mould said clamping bracket member being pivotally connected to a pivotally mounted further link and the first toggle link.

6. A clamping arrangement as defined in claim 5, wherein; the clamping arrangement comprises a base frame in which the control link and said further link are pivotally mounted.

7. A clamping arrangement as defined in claim 6, wherein the pivotal connection between the bracket and said further link is spaced from the other pivotal connection or connections of said further link.

8. A mould assembly comprising a clamping arrangement as definedin claim 6, wherein the base frame fits onto a bracket secured to a transverse bearer member on which the mould is supported so that the clamping arrangement is located in position on the mould assembly. 

1. A clamping device for use with moulds having at least one removable side wall, comprising a clamping member, adapted to engage said side wall and a toggle mechanism connected to said clamping member for applying a clamping pressure to said side wall, wherein the toggle mechanism comprises first and second toggle links pivotally connected together, wherein the first toggle link is operable by an actuating means and is pivotally connected to the clamping member, the first toggle link having means for limiting its pivotal movement in the clamping direction and wherein the mechanism includes a movable screwed adjusting member in contact with a pivotally mounted control link which is pivotally connected to the second toggle link for adjusting the clamping pressure on the side wall of the mould.
 2. A clamping arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein a combined actuating and releasing means is provided.
 3. A clamping arrangement as defined in claim 2, wherein the combined toggle actuating and releasing means is a shaft integral with the first toggle link.
 4. A clamping arrangement as defined in claim 2, wherein the first toggle link is provided with means to receive toggle actuating means comprising a boss integrally formed on the first toggle link and of a shape suitable for receiving a removable shaft or handle.
 5. A clamping arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein the clamping member comprises a clamping bracket member for contacting the side wall of the mould said clamping bracket member being pivotally connected to a pivotally mounted further link and the first toggle link.
 6. A clamping arrangement as defined in claim 5, wherein; the clamping arrangement comprises a base frame in which the control link and said further link are pivotally mounted.
 7. A clamping arrangement as defined in claim 6, wherein the pivotal connection between the bracket and said further link is spaced from the other pivotal connection or connections of said further link.
 8. A mould assembly comprising a clamping arrangement as defined in claim 6, wherein the base frame fits onto a bracket secured to a transverse bearer member on which the mould is supported so that the clamping arrangement is located in position on the mould assembly. 